George Montagu, 4th Duke of Manchester PC (6 April 17372 September 1788) was a British
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
Robert Montagu, 3rd Duke of Manchester
Robert Montagu, 3rd Duke of Manchester ( – 10 May 1762) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1734 until 1739 when he succeeded to the peerage as Duke of Manchester.
Early life
Montagu was the son of Charles Montagu, 1 ...
and the former Harriet Dunch. Among his siblings were
Lord Charles Montagu
Lord Charles Greville Montagu (1741 – 3 February 1784) was the last Royal Governor of the Province of South Carolina from 1766 to 1773, with William Bull II serving terms in 1768 and 1769-1771. He also was the commander of the Duke of Cumbe ...
(who married Elizabeth Bulmer) and Lady Caroline Montagu (wife of Charles Herbert, grandson of
Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke
Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke and 5th Earl of Montgomery, (c. 165622 January 1733), styled The Honourable Thomas Herbert until 1683, was an English and later British statesman during the reigns of William III and Anne.
Background
Her ...
).
His paternal grandparents were
Charles Montagu, 1st Duke of Manchester
Charles Edward Montagu, 1st Duke of Manchester, (''previously'' 4th Earl of Manchester) (20 January 1722) was a British aristocrat and statesman.
Early life
Charles was born into the Noble House of Montagu. He was the eldest son of the forme ...
and the former Hon. Dodington Greville. Among his Montagu relatives were uncle
William Montagu, 2nd Duke of Manchester
William Montagu, 2nd Duke of Manchester, KB (April 1700 – 21 October 1739) was the son of Charles Montagu, 1st Duke of Manchester, and his wife, Dodington Greville, daughter of Robert Greville, 4th Baron Brooke of Beauchamps Court.
He married ...
John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu
John Montagu, 2nd Duke of Montagu, (1690 – 5 July 1749), styled Viscount Monthermer until 1705 and Marquess of Monthermer between 1705 and 1709, was a British peer.
Life
Montagu was an owner of a coal mine.
Montagu went on the grand tour wi ...
Pattee Byng, 2nd Viscount Torrington
Pattee Byng, 2nd Viscount Torrington, (25 May 169923 January 1747), was a British Army officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1723 to 1733 when he succeeded to the peerage as Viscount Torrington. His career included servic ...
). His mother, a daughter and co-heiress of Edmund Dunch and Elizabeth Godfrey (the noted beauty), was a sister-in-law of
Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth
Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth (pronounced "Boscowen") ( ; ca. 1680 – 25 October 1734), was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons for Cornish constituencies from 1702 until 1720 when he was raised to the peerage ...
and niece of
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 O.S.) was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reign ...
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
for
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The popu ...
from 1761 to 1762, when he inherited his father's title. Upon acceding to the dukedom, he employed
Robert Adam
Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his ...
to make designs for
Kimbolton Castle
Kimbolton Castle is a country house in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, England. It was the final home of King Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Originally a medieval castle but converted into a stately palace, it was the family seat o ...
, his principal seat.
He served as Collector of Subsidies in the Port of London in 1762 and was
Lord of the Bedchamber
Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the royal household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century, later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household; the term being fir ...
from 1762 to 1770, resigning his position after the fall of the
Grafton ministry
The Grafton ministry was the British government headed by Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton. It served between October 1768 and January 1770.
History
The Grafton ministry arose from the gradual decay of its predecessor, the Chatham minist ...
in January and went into opposition. Beginning in 1782, he succeeded the
Earl of Hertford
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...
as
Lord Chamberlain of the Household
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...
, serving until 1783 Lord Hertford resumed his duties.
He was a supporter of
Lord Rockingham
Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, (13 May 1730 – 1 July 1782; styled The Hon. Charles Watson-Wentworth before 1733, Viscount Higham between 1733 and 1746, Earl of Malton between 1746 and 1750 and The Marquess of Rocking ...
, and an active opponent in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
of Lord North's American policy. In the Rockingham ministry of 1782 Manchester became
Lord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main c ...
, Also in 1782, he was appointed a Privy Councillor. In 1783, he was appointed Ambassador to France to "supervise the conclusion of treaty negotiations between Great Britain and France, Spain, and the Netherlands." Manchester signed the Peace of Paris at
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...
for Great Britain to end the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn
Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn (Henry Frederick;He is called simply "(His Royal Highness) Prince Henry" in the ''London Gazette'8 September 1761
Personal life
On 22 October 1762, Manchester was married to Elizabeth Dashwood (–1832). She was a daughter of
Sir James Dashwood, 2nd Baronet
Sir James Dashwood, 2nd Baronet (1715–1779) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1740 to 1768.
Early life
He was the son of Robert Dashwood, and his grandfather from whom he inherited the baronetcy was Sir Robert D ...
of
Kirtlington Park
Kirtlington is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about west of Bicester. The parish includes the hamlet of Northbrook. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 988. The parish measures nearly north–south and about east ...
and the former Elizabeth Spencer (a daughter and co-heiress of Edward Spencer of
Rendlesham
Rendlesham is a village and civil parish near Woodbridge, Suffolk, United Kingdom. It was a royal centre of authority for the king of the East Angles, of the Wuffinga line; the proximity of the Sutton Hoo ship burial may indicate a connectio ...
). They had several children, including:
* George Montagu, Viscount Mandeville (1763–1772), who died in childhood.
* Lady Caroline Maria Montagu (1770–1847), married
James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
.
*
William Montagu, 5th Duke of Manchester
Colonel William Montagu, 5th Duke of Manchester (21 October 177118 March 1843), styled Viscount Mandeville until 1788, was a British peer, soldier, colonial administrator and politician. He was Governor of Jamaica from 1808 to 1827, and Manches ...
(1771–1843), who married Lady Susan Gordon, the third daughter of Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon. Lady Susan was the co-heiress of her brother,
George Gordon, 5th Duke of Gordon
General George Duncan Gordon, 5th Duke of Gordon, (2 February 1770 – 28 May 1836), styled Marquess of Huntly until 1827, was a British nobleman, soldier and politician and the last of his line.
Early life
George was born at Edinburgh on 2 F ...
.
*
Lord Frederick Montagu
Lord Frederick Montagu (8 November 1774 – 4 October 1827) was a British politician. He was Postmaster General between 1826 and 1827.
Background
Montagu was a younger son of George Montagu, 4th Duke of Manchester, and Elizabeth, daughter of ...
(1774–1827), who died unmarried.
* Lady Anna Maria Montagu (d. 1796), who died unmarried.
* Lady Emily Montagu, (d. 1838), who served as Housekeeper of Hampton Court Palace.
Manchester was notoriously short of funds, and in 1767 it was necessary for him to sell the Manchester family London house in
Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Ke ...
to the banker and politician Robert Child.
The Duke of Manchester died, after a brief illness, on 2 September 1788. The Dowager Duchess of Manchester died on 26 June 1832.